I turned 24 on Saturday and I'm realizing there is a definite circle to my life depending on what kind of event I can be excited for.

I start my year with the season of "The Goodlife." As soon as my birthday is over, I get really excited for football. Football games, football parties, football party food, throwing around a football, all of it. My first multiple syllable word was "touchdown."I love fall weather in Nebraska, hanging out in jeans and a t-shirt and watching good football. Lumped in with this time of year is Halloween--I live for any reason to get dressed up and we all know I live for candy. My ultimate goal is to find a guy to dress up as Danny Zuko with me. Bonus points if he's not a gay friend. I also find this is the ultimate running time for me. I log a ton of miles in the fall, I'm probably in my best shape and at my lowest weight. Because of all the running I have a wonderfully clear mind as well.

The next phase of Erin's Calendar Year starts with Thanksgiving and is called the season of "Stuffing and Christmas Candy." Surprisingly, I always carry over my good running and weight from The Goodlife into Stuffing and Christmas Candy. Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday of all time. The focus is food, family and football--what could be better? Christmas is ok too. I love being with my family and baking and eating all the Christmas candy, but Christmas has all the pressure of presents and churching and there seems to be less naps. New Years is ok too. I like setting new resolutions and any reason to dress up and go out. My favorite sport of all time to watch live also starts at this time: basketball.

Basketball is possibly the only thing that gets me through the next season: "I Wish I Were a Species That Hibernated." The only redeeming qualities of the time from January 2nd to May 1 are the aforementioned basketball and Valentine's Day candy and Easter candy. That's it. This time sucks hard core. Granted there are concerts, trips and outings with friends and family that can happen during this time that I can get really excited about, but mostly, I'd be ok with hibernating for 5 months.

Erin's Calendar Year ends with the time in May when the weather finally gets hot and lasts until my birthday. This is the best time of year: "Lake Time." I have high expectations for this season. I demand hot (hot for real, like, 90 plus) weather, naps and reading on the beach, water skiing, laking with my family and friends, s'mores, sweet corn and loads of veggies fresh from the garden, bike rides, driving with the windows down, thunderstorms, the smell of sunscreen and the feel of the sun on bare skin. I love it all.